(Update) Sham Shui Po mother suffocates three daughters to death, files false report to police

Police’s investigation revealed on Monday afternoon that a Sham Shui Po mother had suffocated her three daughters, aged between 2 to 5, to death, before filing a false report to police claiming her husband had knifed their daughters.

The force was alerted of the incident that happened at a residential unit on 115 Kweilin Street in Sham Shui Po at 11.01 am. Sources said the woman caller claimed her husband had attacked her with a knife and “killed their three daughters.”

Parademics arrived at the scene and all three girls, unconscious, were rushed to Caritas Medical Centre - where they were later confirmed dead.

According to sources, all three girls of the family died of suffocation with no knife wounds found on them. The mother was later arrested.

Superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said in a media briefing at around 4 pm today that the woman has separated from his husband for almost a year and has been living in the unit with her daughters for 11 months.

He said the woman has no record of mental illness, suspecting the case may be a crime of passion involving the separated couple. The family also had no prior records of violence.

Officers found blood on a pillow inside the unit, suspecting the girls were suffocated to death using it. Officers also noted blood on one of the girls' nose and mouth. However, the cause of their death is still pending confirmation by an autopsy, said Chung.

Chung also said their investigation revealed that the father had not been in contact with the girls and the woman for a certain period of time.

Meanwhile, according to local reports, the woman once phoned her mother and confessed she killed three children this morning. A relative rushed to their Sham Shui Po home to check but found the door locked, he immediately called the police and warned officers of the possible murder.

Swarms of police officers responded to the scene following the report, cordoning off nearby streets. Officers located the husband half an hour later and brought him to the scene to assist in the investigation.

The Social Welfare Department said the woman and her three daughters involved in the incident is an active case of an Integrated Family Service Centre operated by a non-governmental organization.

The authorities will approach the relatives concerned as soon as possible and render appropriate assistance according to their welfare needs.

A relative of the family said the spouse has been fighting over three children's custody.

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